Car-fender



(No Model.)

P. W. DARLING.

UAR FENDER.

No. 556,810. Patented Mar. 24, 1896.

AN BREW B GRAHAMYNOTO-UTHQWIISHQNGTQWD C UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE,

FRANK "W. DARLING, OF HAMPTON, VIRGIXIA.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,810, dated March 24, 1896.

Application filed October 21, 1895. Serial No. 566,330. (No model.)

To all when), it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK IV. DARLING, a cit-i zen of the United States, residing at Hampton, in the State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Fenders, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in car-fenders of the trip and drop scoop type, and also to the front guard or fender proper which is used in connection therewith.

I have aimed to provide an extremely simple device in which the scoop shall be effectually held against accidental displacement by reason of inequalities in the road-bed, but which will be released and allowed to drop upon encountering any obstacle upon the track. I have also aimed to provide a construction in which the scoop after having been tripped may be readily reset by the motorman without necessitating his leaving his position upon the car-platform.

Still another object has been to provide an improved form of spring supported and detachable front guard.

The invention resides in the construction and arrangement of the parts as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

I have illustrated the invention as applied to a portion of a car in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 is a detail, of the guiding-spring for the scoop. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the scoop and trippin g-frame.

In the drawings, A represents the car to which the fender is attached, B the scoop, and C the tripping-frame. The scoop may be of any desired shape, preferably of bars covered with netting, substantially as shown in the drawings, and is provided at its upper edge with a transverse bar I) and forwardlyextending arms or rods 12. The scoop is held normally elevated by spring-supports D of peculiar shape, which serve not only to hold the scoop elevated normally, but also to guide the same in its descent after it has been tripped or when it is being raised again to normal position. Each of these supports consists of a spring bar or rod which has one end bolted or otherwise secured to the car-body or the truck, is found desirable, and from this point the bar extends downward and rearward for a suit-able distance and is then doubled back upon itself, as shown at (1, this doubled portion forming a guideway to receive the transverse bar I), as hereinafter described. The free end of the spring-bar is extended forwardly a short distance and is bent or indented at x to form adepression or seat in which the transverse bar I] may normally rest and be maintained in an elevated position. By this construction a spring-support is provided for the scoop, so that it is far less likely to be displaced by the jarring of the car than if a rigid support were provided.

In order to trip the scoop I provide a swinging frame 0, which is preferably formed by two side bars 0, having their upper ends pivoted to the car-body and their lower ends con nected with the arms of a U-shaped frame 0', which extends down into proximity to the track in a position to be struck by any obstacle upon the track. tending arms I) are pivotally connected to this tripping-frame, as shown at b". It will thus be seen that upon any object coming in contact with the tripping-frame in the forward movement of the car this frame will be swung rearwardly, forcing the bar of the scoop out of the seats in the supports, when the scoop will immediately drop into close proximity to the track, the bar traveling down the inclined guideways formed b y the doubled portion of the spring -support by its own weight.

In order to raise the scoop again to its elevated position, one of the bars 0 is provided with an angular extension c the end of which is turned upwardly, as shown at c", to form a handle which may be grasped by the motorman and drawn back when it is desired to return the scoop to normal position, the pull exerted upon the rods 1) drawing the bar of the scoop up the inclined guideway until it again rests in the seats before referred to.

To the front of the car are secured two 3- shaped springs E for supporting the front guard or fender proper, which will now be described. The ends 12 of the springs are bolted to the front of the car, while their lower ends e form seats for the rear bar of the rectangular frame F of the fender. The

The forwardly'ex- IOL extremities of the portions 6' are inclined rearwardly, so that a contracted entrance-way'is provided to the seats for the bar, and thus a yielding hinge connection is provided for the frame, while at the same time, when desired, the frame may be removed by exerting sufficient pressure to overcome the pressure of the ends of the springs. The forward edge of the fender-frame F is supported by chains G, which are connected by a cross-bar G. A similar crossbar, preferably of flexible or yielding material, is also provided, extending between the sides of the frame F, and a suitable netting II is connected to these crossbars, to the chains, and to the forward portion of the frame F, as shown in Fig. 1.

The springs which support the rear edge of the front fender-frame are snfficientlyflexible to enable them to spring rearwardly under excess of pressure and by contact with the tripping-frame to thus drop the scoop. It will also be observed that the inclined guideways for the scoop will serve to force the scoop into contact with the ground.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combination with a car, inclined springuides depending therefrom and having seats at or near their upper ends, the scoop normally supported in said seats, means for automatically forcing the scoop from the seats into the inclined guides whereby it may drop into proximity to the ground, and means within reach of the operator for drawing the scoop back up the inclined guides into the seats, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a car, the inclined spring-guides depending therefrom and having seats at their upper ends, the scoop arranged to travel in said guides and supported normally in said seats, the tripping-frame connected to said scoop and arranged to force the same from the seats into the inclined guides, and the operating-lever carried by said frame for drawing the scoop back into normal position, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a car, the springs E having downwardly-bent upper ends secured to the front face of the car and having hooked lower ends, and the rectangular fender-frame having its rear cross-bar or side detachably seated in said hooked lower ends, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a car, the springs having rearwardly and downwardly bent upperends secured to the front of the car, and having hooked lower ends, the rectangular fender-frame having its rear side detachably seated in said. hooks, the flexible cross-piece connecting the sides of the frame, the ropes or chains supporting the forward end, the cross-bar connecting the chains and the net ting having its edges connected to the front of the frame, the chains and the cross-bar between the chains and its central portion connected with the cross-bar on the frame, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. FRANK W. DARLING. \Vitnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER,

JAMES M. SPEAR. 

